Introduction
This extensive collection originates from Mehera's firsthand narrative gathered from over 200 hours of tape recordings made by David Fenster, from the years 1974 to 1982. The recordings were made in an effort to gather material for the three-volume book set, Mehera-Meher: A Divine Romance.. These interviews feature Mehera J. Irani, Avatar Meher Baba's foremost woman disciple, and all available men and women mandali members from those years, including: Eruch, Mani, Meheru, Rano, Kitty, Darwin, Mansari, Padri, Goher, Arnavaz and several others. The recordings were made primarily at Meherazad and Meherabad in Maharashtra, India but also include locations in the UK, Europe and the USA.
“One morning at Upper Meherabad in the kitchen, I was standing in the corner near Baba. I had given him something. I looked at him to see what he was doing. I saw him seated so quietly. Baba looked so dear and beautiful to me. His smooth cheeks looked so lovely after shaving, so smooth & silky. I came near. I didn’t know how to embrace him. I felt so much love that I put my cheek on Baba’s cheek and pressed my cheek against his for quite a few
seconds. Baba just sat there. I looked up in his eyes. He looked straight at me with such a tender, loving look in his eyes. There was a very sweet and tender expression in his eyes. It was very beautiful. Sometimes, when you felt that way, you wanted to kiss and embrace Baba. I still remember that. It has remained in my mind all this time.”
–– Mehera J. Irani,
Mehera-Meher, Vol.1, by David Fenster
Note: Text transcripts of the recordings are in process, so as time passes, more and more recordings will become available as verbatim transcripts, enabling one to listen to a recording while reading along with the speaker. Please stay tuned for additional transcripts. Recordings having a verbatim transcript will have a bolded VERBATIM button in the far right column (below for phones or smaller mobile devices) in red that shifts to black on hover. Clicking on that button opens a pdf transcript of that interview.
If you don’t have a pdf reader already installed, you can download it here. Please also note that dates are displayed in conventional USA format, i.e. month-day-year. For example, 09-01-78 = September 1, 1978. When the play icon is clicked, the running time of a talk is displayed in “hours:minutes:seconds” format, for example: 01:30:42 = (hr:min:sec) one hour, thirty minutes, forty-two seconds.
Individual talks in the BELOVED COLLECTION can be downloaded as mp3s by clicking the “Download” button displayed in the Audio file column.
Audio file
Content
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DF-001B: Eruch Jessawala; Naja Irani; Meheru Irani; Mehera J. Irani;
Their Lives with Meher Baba
Note: Mehera starts: 04:44
DF-003A: Eruch Jessawala; Mani S. Irani
Eruch & Mani: Baba memories; Loving God; Spirituality; Sufism
Meheru: Remembering Baba as a child
DF-004B: Mani S. Irani; Bhau Kalchuri; Mehera J. Irani; Eruch Jessawala
Life with Baba & Mandali’s Life now; Baba’s parents
DF-006A: Eruch Jessawala; Rano Gayley
Life with Baba; Western Women disciples 1930s
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DF-006A: Mehera J. Irani
Giving in to Baba; Q & A: Mehera & Pilgrims
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DF-007A: Mehera J. Irani; Pendu (Aspandiar Irani)
Seclusion Hill; Sports, Marriage, Duties, Manifestation
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DF-007B: Mehera J. Irani; Pendu (Aspandiar Irani)
Seclusion Hill; Sports; Marriage, Duties
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DF-008A: Pendu (Aspandiar Irani); Mehera J. Irani
Baba’s Manifestation; Early Days with Baba
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DF-008B: Mehera J. Irani; Meheru K. Irani
Mehera: Kavali; Baba Sing & Dance
Meheru: Women’s Duties
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DF-009A: Meheru K. Irani; Arnavaz Dadachanji; Eruch & Meherwan Jessawala
Meheru (cont.) Baba told us not to eat tamarind as children; Baba on New Life with Mehera
Arnavaz: Brief talk about Naja
Eruch & Meherwan Jessawala: About Guruprasad; Maharani of Baroda; Real Knowledge; Story of Balasha writing the letter “A”
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DF-009B: Eruch Jessawala; Mehera J. Irani
Eruch: Marathi sign; Ali & Mohammed; Swimming
Mehera: Baba played cricket, badminton; Baba gave her parrot & other birds
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DF-010A: Mehera J. Irani; Ted Judson
Mehera: Singing; Obeying; Ramakrishna, Vivekananda
Ted: Songs
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DF-010B: Ted Judson; Adi K. Irani
Ted: (cont.) Amazing Grace; Cum Bai Ya, Australian arti
Adi: at Dinner with Naosherwan Satha
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DF-011A: Adi K. Irani
Baba dropping body; World destruction; New Life; Manifestation
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DF-011B: Adi K. Irani; Eruch B. Jessawala; Rano Gayley
Adi: (cont.) Baba Memories
Eruch: Khuldabad; Mahabaleshwar; Arjun & Krishna; Kumar’s wife; Banumasi
Rano: About God Speaks
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DF-012A: Mehera J. Irani; Alu Talavia; Eruch B. Jessawala
Mehera: Her mother met Baba in Poona; Baba singing; Baba loved doves; He wants love from us; Alu Talavia in Africa 31 Jan 1969
Alu: Baba throwing her a rose in Surat
Eruch: Australia, “Who does he think he is, Jesus Christ?”; Baba’s work after dropping body; “You will be pushed out by my gems”
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DF-012B: Eruch Jessawala; Mani S. Irani; Adi K. Irani
Eruch: Suicide; Eruch leaves Baba-1952
Mani: Her dream-Baba fits into baby clothes
Adi: Human nature; His father & mother; Spiritual life; Don’t put thoughts into action
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DF-012C: Eruch B. Jessawala
Australia; After dropping body; Gain & Loss; Analogy of train
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DF-013A: Adi K. Irani; Eruch B. Jessawala
Adi: Early days; Bombay college; Upasni; Scolding; 6th Plane; Baba’s spirituality
Eruch: God on a platter story
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DF-013B: Eruch B. Jessawala; Mani S. Irani
Eruch: Swimming; No privacy; On tour; Couch story; Eruch naked; 1952 collision; Crying in front of Baba; “If He doesn’t want me by His side…”
Mani: Margaret Craske going blank; Mani meets Bhau & Eruch at Asiana; Singing Begin The Beguine; Jump rope story; Doing what Baba wishes;
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DF-014A: Mani S. Irani; Eruch B. Jessawala
Bombay flat; Khodadad; Cucaracha; Nasik; Next advent; Begin the Beguine
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DF-014B: Mani S. Irani; Manu Jessawala
Reading to Baba; Shireen died; Baba drops body; Obedience; Tailor stories
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File number, Title, Speaker(s)
Location(s) and Date(s) ––TBA
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File number, Title, Speaker(s)
Location(s) and Date(s) ––TBA
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File number, Title, Speaker(s)
Location(s) and Date(s) ––TBA
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File number, Title, Speaker(s)
Location(s) and Date(s) ––TBA
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File number, Title, Speaker(s)
Location(s) and Date(s) ––TBA
File number, Title, Speaker(s)
Location(s) and Date(s) ––TBA
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File number, Title, Speaker(s)
Location(s) and Date(s) ––TBA
DF-018A: Naja Irani
Pune childhood; Baba speaking; Attic room; Babajan; Toddy shop; Kaikoo; Padri’s brother; Dowlatmasi; Kasba Peth
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DF-018B: Naja Irani
Gustadji; Prasad; Baba walking, singing; Baba eating; Shireen angry; Baba’s father; Sakori; Quetta; Jhopdi
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DF-0190A: Naja Irani
Early days: Quetta, Babajan, Goher’s father, Baba’s birthday, Baba plays drum, Jhopdi, Walks to Bombay with Baba;
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DF-0190B: Naja Irani
Early days: Naja’s father, Camping, P.O. bldg., Baba slaps Naja, Jamshed ill, Durgabai, Boy’s school, Gustadji
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DF-020A: Naja Irani
Early days: Throwing away food-Manzil-e-Meem; Baba silent for 1 year; Meeting with the Mandali; Naja sick with cold; Food for Dharmsala people; 3 days punishment for Sailormama; Last words Baba spoke; Everybody in ashram silent; Staying in the bathrooms; Cooking in Toka; Combing Baba’s hair; Mehera; Pack to Post Office; Baba tells all to leave; Never sure to stay with Baba; Adi’s father begs Baba to stay; Prem ashram boys; Nasik; Baba goes to London; Telegrams Baba sent; Performing skit for Baba; When Baba was away; On the hill, after Nasik; Naja is ill
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DF-020B: Naja Irani
Early days: After Naja is ill; Gulmai & Shireen, Baba calls the Westerns; New Life in Dehra Dun; Motichur; Khumba Mela to Hardiwar; People dipping in Ganges
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DF-021A: Naja Irani
Later years with Baba; During Guruprasad years, Naja stays at Bindra House, cooking for the many who would come for Baba; Baba in seclusion
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DF-021B: Aspandiar (Pendu) Irani
Building Ashram building-1934; Baba garlands Pendu; Going to Adi’s father; Small tank at M’abad; Baba’s tomb-1927; Adding top story to Ashram-1938; Kalemama, the engineer; Baba gave time limit to build; Baba would come and give extra work for Pendu; Corner symbols of Tomb Pendu’s idea; Sarosh comes with engineers; Library bldg, tiles short, taken from old dharmsala bldg.; Padri, Kalemama not on good terms; Pendu not able to sleep; Opening ceremony; Chanji; Early childhood; Parsi school; Baba taught him thread ceremony; Merwan before he met Babajan; Neighbors were his friends; Upasni told him to follow Baba; Buasaheb; Sayyed Saheb named Meher Baba; Toddy shop; Baba was sent to a job in Gujarat; Patil partner in toddy shop; Baba tells not to drink; Patil builds hut in Poona; Baily is nightwatchman; Walking to Bombay; Pendu’s father goes to see Upasni; Baba’s singing; Pendu’s mother & Shireenmai; Baba came to see Pendu’s mother before she died
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DF-022A: Aspandiar (Pendu) Irani
Pendu goes to Bombay, Goher’s father in Quetta; The cook goes with Pendu to Bombay; Wants to see Baba; Pendu’s father keeps watch at Manzil-e-Meem; Pendu bows down to Baba; Pendu told not to go out or leave Manzil; Pendu’s longing for trhe Avatar; Buasaheb sells Poona shop to pay for Manzil; Buasaheb argues with Rustom; Rustom goes to Colombo to Chin; being athlete; Cricket at Meherabad; Puts up Meherabad sign on PO; Chanji good bowler; Baba asked to play cricket; Baba watches match in Toka; Manzil: flour mill, playing cricket; Goher; Ramjoo; Baba’s father & mother; Baba comes to Pendu’s house
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DF-022B: Pendu (Aspandiar Irani)
Munshishah; Sayyedsaheb; He and Jal, at Kavval programs; Munshishah employed Manzil mandali; Munshishah named Baba; Baba kept Baily in Poona hut; Baily was Baba’s school friend; he was sent to jail; Baily about to suicide; Sadashiv Patel, in toddy shop; Patel’s personality; Sailor took his wife to see Sai baba; Asthma; Nervous; Slamson; Anna 104; Ghani; Vishnu; Gustadji
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DF-023A: Pendu (Aspandiar Irani); Mehera J. Irani
Pendu: Early days: Baba at circus & movies, Stories: Mira, Laila & Majnu, Baba upset, tells her to leave Meherabad
Mehera: Baba upset, tells her to leave Meherabad; Baba tells to leave Bombay
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DF-023B: Mehera J. Irani
Early days: Pressing Baba’s legs; Make her like Babajan; Masaji puts everything in PO; Baba puts on Mehera;s coat; Baba tells her to massage his feet; Baba sends her, Naja, Dowlatmai to Sakori; Won’t embrace her; Washing Baba’s clothers; “Azad” and “Abad” meaning “Flourishing”; He named Meherabad after her, He liked bright colors; Baba disappears from Elizabeth & Norina; Baba’s sign for women; Sign for men; Piercing ears; Funeral of old man; The Shenai; Nose rings; Baba dresses as Krishna; Women make cradle for Krishna; Story of climbing Seclusion Hill, Baba helped her
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DF-024A: Mehera J. Irani
(cont.) Climbing Seclusion Hill, Her childhood: Girl Guide-Hoopa troop, Her father had many houses; Father took her to Bombay to buy toys; As a child, she rode camels, elephants; Father transferred; Mother rode in chair on camel; One night, a cat came into their tent to drink milk; In the tent; A snake bit the servant; her father saved the woman; Father liked hammocks; Baba told about her father; Good pay, earned honestly; Houses in Poona, Mahabaleshwar; Mother sold all to give to Baba; Dowlatmai; Khorshed with Baba; Baba calls them to Meherabad; She did cleaning work at the ashram; Her grandparents; Baba named Meherabad after her
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DF-024B: Mehera J. Irani
”Baba told me her loved me when he first saw me”; “He asked me when I first loved him”; Speaking about Jurgis Sapkus about his Baba foot mold; Her grandfather; Col. Irani and her mother’s other relatives; Piano lessons-she scored 95 out of 100; Her father loved music; The Parsis and Iranis of Poona; “Baba is here now, we are all in his arms”; “He told us about his lovers who would be coming”;
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DF-025A: Mehera J. Irani
Baba swimming in ocean-Vengurls; Donkin made sand castles; Bathing the poor, lice in Baba’s hair; She loved animals-climbed on a water buffalo; Baba’s hair; He did not eat breakfast; Goher’s Hill-she danced for Baba’s b-day; Mani as a man in New Life scares Goher; Goher afraid of cockroaches; Making a fake snake; Goher sings a song in Belgaum in New Life; Baba changes the words of the song Goher sang; Mani tells a joke
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DF-025B: Mehera J. Irani
Early days: Gaimai, Gulamasi, Mosquitos; 1952 trip to Myrtle Beach; Margaret teaches rowing-Myrtle Beach; 1958-Shapoor Hall & Tiger Cave & Garden-Mahabaleshwar; Go for walks, learn swiming-Karwar; Swimming costumes; Going to Hyderabad, Lahore; Jubilee Hills; Rat in the house; Baba changes houses; Swimming pool
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DF-026A: Mehera J. Irani
Katie swims; Baba out for Mast work; Going out with Baba; Margaret Craske; Nargis doesn’t know English; Baba used to sit in the car; Killing mosquitos; Meheru in France; Trips in 1936; Plane trip-1952; Small pox shots; In Bombay; On plane and English girl came to look at Baba; Goher got sick before landing in NY; At a restaurant-NYC; On train to Meher Center; At the Center-the barn, the beach; Start by car for California; Empire State Building; Ruby Falls; Christ come again in America;
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DDF-026B: Mehera J. Irani; Eruch B. Jessawala
Mehera: Arnavaz got garlic stuck in ear; Alu Khambatta; Bhajas at Damania farms; Baba stays at San Cruz; Her mother; They came to Meherabad to stay; Baba on bicycle-1944, Upstairs bedroom-1958; Winter changed rooms; Greeting Baba in the morning; Baba does his leg exercises; Have bath
Eruch: Walking trip to Utter Kashi in Himalayas
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DF-027A: Mehera J. Irani
Drugs; Eat meat; She loves tobacco; Dehra Dun; Mani takes snuff at Trust Office; Hindu mothers give opium to their babies; Pilgrim songs; Wadia Park Darshan-1954;
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DF-027B: Mehera J. Irani
Travels with Baba: France-1936; She loves mushrooms; Cannes to Paris-Eifel Tower; Norina takes Baba to casino; Charades; Mohammed to France; Voyage from India to France; Naja “land sick”; Returning on the Circassia; Food falls on Baba; Seeing arrows in case of danger
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DF-028A: Mehera J. Irani
Voyage to France: Thought ship was sinking;Mehera’s b-days were celebrated-1967, 1968; Baba’s health bad, Navjote, Gulnar’s daughter-1968; Confirmation; Mehera’s Navjote; Mehera’s father & mother; Big wedding at Poona-Mehera didn’t attend; Mehera’s father; Camels in the desert; Climb the tree to kill the tigers; Baba liked her father; Baba saw her father; One day people will eat paper; Good to eat neem leaves; Upasni, fating; Durgabai cooks for Maharaj; Arnavaz’s father a vegetarian; Baba gave meditation to Mehera; Going to Meherazad in tonga; Writing Yezdan
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DF-028B: Mehera J. Irani; Pendu (Aspandiar) Irani
Mehera: Writing Yezdan; Sewing shirts; Baba sings Marathi Bhajans; Baba distributes shirts; Going to stay with Baba; Khorshed said, “No pillows”; Being vegetarian like Baba; Four girls on the Hill; Baba’s b-day-1938; Kippy; Hyderabad; Mohammed Mast; Chum; Ruth White, Mildred Kyle; At girl’s school-Poona; Baba in Poona at Jhopdi; Girl died young; America & India; Kirpal Singh; Muktananda
Pendu: His beautiful wife
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DF-029A: Mehera J. Irani; Padri (Faredoon Driver)
Mehera: Muktananda; Baba in bed listening to music; Mosquitoes; Meherabad-1926; One day, Baba came to the women’s side; Bunny-Mahabaleshwar; Baba didn’t like sunbathing; Bird perching, dining room; Mehera in the night; Chatti Baba-Quetta; Hail storm, snow, God Realization; Baba’s hair
Padri: His grandfather; Mehera and her family
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DF-029B: Padri (Faredoon Driver); Mehera J. Irani
Padri: Mehera; Her brother’s grave; Baba said he was the Avatar in Hamirpur; Mehera wanted cloth; Water shortage in Nagar; Baba didn’t show Mehera’s photo to Mandali-so strict; He contacted Baba in 1921
Mehera: Baba’s tree; Panchgani; Return from Cannes-1937; With Western lovers at Meherabad-1938; While upper floor of Meher Retreat built, they went to Panchgani; Baba comes into room with mouse on his shoulders; Baba tells Mehera to brush her teeth carefully, wake on her right side and eat butter; Rise in morning; She heard shots in the night-11/22/1963 when JFK was killed; English Empire down; Baba said Prince of Wales will come to Baba, he abdicated; Baba foretold WWII; Wrong of Hitler to commit suicide; Story of seeker eating meat, told to eat meat by Baba
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